Buffalo VA Healthcare System Substance Abuse Treatment Service provides full range of care including Outpatient, Virtual Intensive Outpatient (VIOP), a fifteen (15) bed Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP), SUD expansion, Buprenorphine/opioid treatment, and other medication assisted treatments for eligible Veterans. Service Coordination includes independent functioning and complex caseload requirements and warrants an advanced practice social work license.

Duties

The Social Work Program Coordinator (SATS) provides direct patient care services in the program area and supervision of some staff, while managing the daily operation of the program. This position develops policies and procedures for program operation, prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN and national use. Clinical Functions Psychosocial Assessments: Interviews Veteran and their family members/significant others to establish facts about their presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems as it relates to their functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. The social worker assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services as outlined above Psychosocial Treatment: The social worker performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness. The SATS Program Coordinator Social Worker incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges. The social worker is able to provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with whom may have the following: Substance Use Disorder, Polytrauma injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, other serious disorders, and psychosocial problems in living. Promotes communication and interactions among medical, nursing, and social work team members, patients and their families and caregivers to facilitate the treatment process. Coordination of Care: The social worker is responsible for the screening and consultation of eligible veterans. This social worker will identify community resources within the Buffalo VA service area such SCI treatment and rehabilitation, prosthetic services, local peer counseling programs or groups, community services for the disabled, and other staff to effectively coordinate and manage care. S/he provides consultation to other staff professionals to promote and preserve a therapeutic environment for individual patients. Demonstrates the ability to evaluate their own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, supervision, and other organizational means. Administrative Functions The Program Coordinator serves as the Point of Contact (POC) for multiple SATS Programs, including the oversight of the residential services (SAARTP), Outpatient Substance abuse clinic, SUD expansion, and Buprenorphine/opioid treatment. The Coordinator is also involved with Medication Assisted Treatment with guidance and oversight from Chief of Psychiatry. The incumbent provides administrative oversight including planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures, developing program goals and objectives, and monitoring, operating, and evaluating the functioning of the program. Provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. Program Evaluation & Consultation: Develops and implements methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in specialty areas, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services. The social worker is able to demonstrate the ability to design changes based on empirical findings. Responsible for, or contribute to, the program's resource and fiscal management, monitoring control points developing the annual budget, operating within that budget, and accounting for appropriated funds. Provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for staff. Oversee program operations and evaluations, identifying areas for improvement, gathering relevant data, assessing the data, developing, and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts. Responsible for SATS Performance Measures and Monitors and associated benchmarks. Regular reporting to be provided to leadership through local committee structure. Educating the community on VA health care services and benefits, increasing enrollment, and improving patient care coordination. The SATS Social Work Coordinator may initiate outreach opportunities to engage in collaborative partnerships with other federal, state, and local agencies and departments. Will perform other related duties as assigned. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: Possess a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the school of social work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. For grades below or at the full performance level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent master's level within 3 years of their appointment as a social worker. Licensure: Possess a full and unrestricted license or certification by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). GS-13 Grade Determination: Experience/Education:One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. AND Licensure/Certification: Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility. Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive. Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action. Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget. Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G39. Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-185.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS13. Preferred Experience: At least 3 years of management/supervisory experience. Significant experience in provision of SUD treatment to Veterans. VA evidenced based treatment certification is desired.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Crystal Collier
• Email: [email protected]